


A Purrfect Conundrum

by avianscribe



Series: Shatter My Universe [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Animal Transformation, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Status Effects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:28:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25271653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avianscribe/pseuds/avianscribe
Summary: A hunting mishap puts Noctis in charge of a small clowder of cats... And though he's played with his share of strays, he's never had to play vet with them.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia
Series: Shatter My Universe [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1315634
Comments: 89
Kudos: 145





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this _ages_ ago, and it's been sitting in my WIPs for far too long XD
> 
> This fic is the AU from [Chapter 20 of Cracked](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17276621/chapters/45468454). Be prepared for cats!

Ignis was feeling off. 

He was sure it was just fatigue. It had to be something that would go away with enough rest. It couldn’t possibly be anything more than that. It couldn’t. There was too much to accomplish, and someone needed to be the responsible adult and make sure things got done in the morning when they needed to. That was part of Ignis’s role, after all. 

But Ignis wasn’t sleeping right. He hadn’t yet identified what was causing it (stress? grief? any number of other unidentified ailments?) but he tossed and turned all night, instead of getting the rest he so desperately needed. He could chase the fog of fatigue with Ebony all he liked, but the fact remained that he wasn’t resting, and it wouldn’t be long before it affected his performance. His focus, and thus his ability to access their arsenal.

Ignis couldn’t afford to be ill. _Noctis_ could not afford for him to be ill. Their situation, moving from place to place, avoiding Imperial notice, did not allow them to stay in one place for more than a day or two. He didn't have _time_ to be ill. It was neither feasible nor prudent. 

So he just refused. 

(Except he didn’t really have any say in the matter.)

* * *

Noctis didn’t notice anything wrong at first. 

Yeah, they’d had some stressful days. A few too many close calls with MT squads, some hunts that were probably a little trickier than they should have taken on… and Noctis himself could sleep through just about anything, so of course he didn’t notice Ignis wasn’t sleeping right at night.

The caravan was empty when he woke up (as usual). He went through his usual routine -- pulling his clothes on and splashing his face with icy water in the tiny caravan sink so he could look at least somewhat presentable in the morning light. Outside, Ignis and Gladio were busy with something around the Regalia, so he stumbled alone into the Taelpar Crow’s Nest to order breakfast and awful diner coffee. He was still blinking sleep from his eyes when Prompto slid onto the bench across from him.

“Mornin!” Prompto said, chipper as always. 

Noctis grimaced. 

Prompto had probably been for a run and everything before anyone else was really moving. The only person who got up before Prompto did was Ignis. For the thousandth time on this infernal road trip, Noctis envied their energy.

“Hey, ah…” Prompto said, and this time he sounded a lot more sober. “Ignis was still asleep when I got up.” 

That woke Noctis right up. _“What?”_ he said.

“I mean, by the time I was out of the bathroom he was up, but before that… I mean, I don’t think I’ve seen him sleep, like, _ever._ He’s always up before I am.”

Noctis blinked at his coffee. “Hope he’s okay.” 

“Says he’s fine,” Prompto said. “Didn’t wanna get on his bad side by pushing things.”

“Wise choice,” Noctis said, and took another bite of scrambled eggs.

He thought about that conversation a lot the rest of the morning, and paid a lot closer attention. It wouldn’t do for them to run into trouble and for Ignis to be too tired to help.

Thing about Ignis was… he was really good at hiding things he didn’t want other people to notice. Noctis had an advantage Prompto didn’t; he’d known Ignis since he was _four_ , and knew all his tells. It was still difficult. Enough so that Ignis even managed to talk them all into taking a hunt.

“Just a coeurl,” he said, like a coeurl was no big deal. (One coeurl was still a big deal.) “We need the gil, and the timing and location are both convenient.” 

When Ignis stumbled (on a _tree root,_ of all things) while walking to the hunt location, Noctis knew something was wrong. That just… wasn’t something Ignis _did._ But Ignis recovered in a couple steps and straightened, smoothing his jacket lapels with his palms. He glanced around as though checking to see if anyone had noticed -- and met Noctis’s eye. His cheeks pinked up.

“You okay, Ignis?” Noctis said. 

“Fine,” Ignis said -- even though it was clear he was _not fine._ Before Noctis could call him on it, Ignis stiffened his shoulders and turned to follow Gladio.

Okay. Ignis could play that game if he wanted to, but he wasn’t going to get away with it if Noctis had anything to say about it. He lengthened his stride to catch up. It was telling that Ignis didn’t notice him until he said, “Hey,” and Ignis jumped.

“Whoa,” Noctis said, and put a hand on Ignis’s arm. “You’re really _not_ okay.” 

“I’m--”

“You don’t need to lie to me,” Noctis said to cut him off. “We can turn back. We’ll put the hunt off until tomorrow, if we need to.”

“I assure you, Noct, I--”

“Hush,” Gladio said from ahead of them. He had a hand raised. “We’re getting close.”

Gladio had led them to the edge of the trees, and the hill sloped down from them, wide and grassy. His attention was focused on something down the slope, and it didn’t take long for Noctis to see it too. 

Half-way down the hill from them, he saw the back of a great coeurl sunning itself on a large rock. It was giant, greying, and scarred all over -- but its color was strange. Noctis squinted at it.

“Looks like a real veteran,” Gladio said, his voice a bass rumble even though he was being quiet. “We’ll have to be careful.”

“Yeah,” Noctis breathed.

“Weak to swords, I think… and fire,” Ignis said, as he drew abreast. 

“All right,” Noctis said, steeling himself. Then he glanced at Ignis. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Ignis insisted.

Noctis didn’t believe him -- but there was a glint in Ignis’s eye, a challenge that guaranteed violence should Noctis choose to press. So he (wisely, he thought) let it go -- if Ignis thought he was well enough for this fight, so be it. “All right,” he said. “You hit it with fire, and then the rest of us will go in.” He called his blade into his hand with a crystalline.

Below, the coeurl twisted its head around and looked directly at them.

Gladio swore, and yelled, “Now, Ignis!”

Noctis held back, waiting for Ignis to launch the fire spell -- but nothing happened. He turned -- and Ignis was staring, horrified, into space. “Ignis?” 

“Er…” Ignis stammered.

“Iggy, we need it _now,”_ Gladio growled.

But Noctis knew it was too late already. He looked down the hill and had just enough time to see the coeurl racing towards him when Gladio shoved him out of its path. Noctis stumbled and regained his footing just in time to see Gladio counter the coeurl's pounce with his greatsword. Bracing an arm against the flat of the blade, he pushed the great cat back.

There was a gunshot and the coeurl yowled and slashed out -- Noctis heard Prompto’s yelp, and the thump as he fell. The coeurl lurched towards him. 

“Prompto!” Noctis yelled. 

Ignis charged in; Gladio followed -- and then the coeurl veered between Noctis and his three companions. He couldn’t see what was going on. 

The coeurl growled, and its whiskers began to glow.

“Look out!” Ignis yelled, and Noctis staggered backwards several steps and raised his blade. Then the coeurl’s whiskers whipped, and there was a blinding flash. 

Noctis raised his hands to shield his face too late, and the light seared into his eyes. 

He froze and strained to listen for the coeurl’s movements… There. Unsteady footsteps through the grass. Prompto must have gotten it good. 

Noctis blinked a few times to clear his vision, and finally, though he still had a large spot in his vision, he could see the coeurl limping away. It left a trail of blood in its wake. Prompto’s shot was enough to maim but not kill. But Noctis wasn’t ready to pursue it yet.

In fact, he was surprised no one else was following it. The flash must have been more serious than he initially thought. He looked around and at first could see nothing. He stumbled towards where he’d last seen his companions, but though the grass was trampled, he could see no one there.

He wrestled with his rising panic for a heartbeat -- and then heard a plaintive meow. 

A cat. 

A cat, out here in the boonies. 

He added _that_ worry to his concern for his companions.

Noctis approached where he’d last seen Ignis. “Guys?” he said uncertainly. But instead of Ignis there, he saw a sleek cat, legs splayed out unsteadily. Its ticked caramel-colored fur suggested that it was a fancy Tenebraean shorthair breed. Definitely not a typical stray. Noctis stared at it in horror. 

It looked up at him and said, distinctly, “Mrraaow?”

There was a yowl, and from nowhere charged another cat, huge, brown, and hairy. Hissing, it launched itself at the shorthair and bowled it over. The scar across its left eye was unmistakable. It looked just like Gladio’s. Which meant… 

Noctis lunged for the massive cat and lifted it off of… was that Ignis? It had to be Ignis. 

Gladio was hard to lift; his torso as a cat was as long as Noct’s. He must be a Galahdian Coon -- one of the biggest cats there were, huge and fluffy and all muscle under that fur. It was a good thing he wasn’t struggling. 

The Tenebraean shorthair staggered to its feet and shook itself. Noctis stretched a hand out to it, but it hissed at him and he pulled away. He knew better than to bother Ignis when he was tetchy. 

But… if this was Ignis, and the huge one was Gladio… where was Prompto? 

A quick scan of the ridge turned up nothing at first, but then a little orange head poked out of a nearby patch of grass. Eyes wide and ears flat, it looked up at him. 

“P… Prompto??” Noctis said. “Is that _you?”_

The tiny tabby took several delicate steps through the grass and looked up at him. “Mew,” it said, a high, plaintive sound -- then it ran to him and stretched its paws up his leg, begging to be held. 

“Astrals,” Noctis muttered, and set Gladio down. He picked up the tiny orange tabby -- which nestled immediately next to his chest and pushed its head into the crook of his arm. Noctis heaved a sigh and looked down at the other two. What a mess. This wasn’t the weirdest status effect he’d seen, but… “Guess I’ll have to pull out a…” he reached for the armiger’s stash of curatives. 

… They had exactly zero remedies. 

How was he supposed to fix _this?_

He fought with the surge of panic for a moment, only just conscious of Prompto trembling in his arms. Then he took a deep breath. Okay. First things first… they needed to get out of _here_ before more wildlife turned up. 

“You guys… follow me to the car, okay?” he said. “I can’t carry all of you. ‘Specially you, Gladio; _Stars,_ you’re huge.” 

Gladio glared at him and lashed his tail -- but Noctis ignored it and took off back to the car. Since it was sweltering out, Noctis was pretty sure that Prompto wasn’t shivering because of cold. He needed to get them all in the car before anything nasty caught up to them out here. The coeurl was still out there, for one, and injured; Noctis was especially not anxious to run into it again and have to face it alone. His friends were definitely not fighting anything as _cats._

Astrals, what was he going to _do?_ He’d usually turn to Ignis for advice, but he couldn’t very well do that _now._ He wondered vaguely if Cor had ever encountered anything like this…

 _Cor._

Noctis shifted kitty-Prompto to free a hand and pulled his phone out and dialed Cor. He’d never been so relieved to hear the Marshal’s voice say “Highness.”

“Cor,” Noctis said. “I have a problem.” He hated how panicked his voice sounded. 

“What kind of problem?” 

“We. Um. There was a coeurl that turned Gladio, Ignis and Prompto all into cats.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. “Did you say… _cats?”_

Prompto took that moment to give a plaintive “Mew!”

“I see,” Cor said. “A coeurl, you say? I’ve never run into that before.”

“And we’re out of remedies,” Noctis said, shame welling up at their lack of preparation. “I mean… we didn’t think we’d need it for a coeurl hunt.”

Cor hmmmed. Noctis couldn’t tell if it was a _good_ ‘hmmm’ or a _you idiot_ ‘hmmm’ without seeing Cor’s face. (Even then, he might not be sure.)

“I mean…” he said hurriedly, “we were taking hunts to restock our potions and stuff, and I didn’t even think about it. Hunting is the best way for us to earn gil out here, and… I mean… I guess I could take a couple small ones until I earn enough to fix this…”

“I wouldn’t advise it, Highness,” Cor said.

“The remedies are _gone!_ What do I do, Cor? They’re not gonna be able to fight like this!”

“If you’re out of remedies, you’ll just have to wait for it to wear off. In the meantime, see if you can’t hole up at a motel or caravan. Do you have enough gil for that?” 

“May have enough for a caravan,” Noctis said.

“Do that,” Cor told him. “And keep them indoors. Can they understand you still?”

“I think so.” 

“If they do, they should understand why. If they don’t, they’ll be constantly trying to escape, and you don’t want them becoming targets.”

“You’re telling me.” Noctis sighed.

“Keep them safe. I’ll see if I can get to you.”

Noctis felt a wave of relief. _Cor would know what to do._ “Thanks,” he breathed. Then he thumbed his phone off and put it in a pocket. He shifted Prompto in his arms (the orange tabby gave a little squeak), and picked up his pace. “C’mon, guys, let’s get you out of here.”

Cat-Gladio waved his tail with a flick, and took off down the path towards the Regalia. It was going to be quite a hike… they’d travelled a bit to get to their hunt. Noctis glanced behind now and then to make sure Ignis was following. He could see Ignis’s tail cutting a swath through the long grass in Noct’s wake.

They were maybe half-way to the car when a voretooth’s howl raised the hairs on Noct’s arm. He dropped Prompto immediately and summoned his engine blade. “Run, guys! Run!” 

Noctis didn’t wait to see if they obeyed. He faced the pack that was even now bolting towards them through the trees, and took a deep breath. Voreteeth were easy, right? He tightened his grip on the hilt and drew his arm back. Then he flung the sword and warped after it. 

He pierced the leading creature neatly through its ribs and it dropped to the ground. He tugged his sword free and warped towards another pair of them. He skewered one, but the other sped away -- in the same direction as the car. “No, wait!” he yelled, but two more of the foul things were on him. He blocked their slavering teeth and claws with his blade, and hoped beyond hope that his friends were fast.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cats can't really fight voreteeth, but they definitely try. And then Noctis has to take care of the aftermath.

When Noctis shouted at them to run, Ignis sprinted away. 

There was nothing else for them to do. As cats, even Gladio wouldn’t be able to take on a single voretooth, let alone a pack. Prompto was (naturally) the fastest of them and took off, an orange streak through the grass. Ignis followed, and as they ran he could hear Gladio crashing through the undergrowth behind him. 

The fatigue that had shattered his focus and prevented him from drawing even a magic flask from the arsenal dogged his steps all the way. He’d failed Noct -- failed them  _ all _ . This whole situation was  _ his _ fault.

Now if he could only survive long enough to make it right.

In heartbeats, it was clear that at least one voretooth had broken away from the rest of the pack. The sound of its pursuit bore down on them. Before Ignis could react, it swiped and bowled him off his feet and then its fetid breath was in his face. It planted a foot on his ribcage, crushing him, its cruel claw mere centimeters from Ignis’s soft, exposed belly. Something cracked inside and pain lanced through his torso. He kicked at the leg that held him down -- raking it with his rear claws as he did -- but it was futile. 

Then a mass of growling fur and muscle hit the voretooth in the face, scratching and biting. Gladio, thank the Astrals. The voretooth yelped and backed away and as soon as the pressure left Ignis’s chest he scrambled up and ran again. He almost careened into Prompto, who had stopped, helpless as he was. Prompto bolted ahead of him and led the rest of the way to the Regalia (it wasn’t much further, thankfully) and then they huddled behind the rear wheel, far enough under the car that the voretooth couldn’t reach them if it followed. 

The adrenaline high could no longer mask the sharp pain that spiked in Ignis’s chest with each panting breath. He shuddered and did his best to measure his breathing, slow and shallow, to avoid the pain. He didn’t notice Prompto approach until he felt a tongue grooming his shoulder. He almost flinched away, but that would have hurt too badly, so he let Prompto continue. 

Gladio appeared shortly after, limping. He squeezed his way to join them under the car. He didn’t fit quite so nicely and had to hunch down. His movements were stiff and cautious, and blood matted on his furry flank. Thankfully, the voretooth hadn’t followed. Gladio gave Ignis and Prompto a cursory look, then turned to watch for Noctis to return. 

Return he did, finally… haggard-looking and scratched up, but otherwise whole. He got close enough that all Ignis could see was his feet, and then stopped in his tracks. “Guys?” Noctis said, then more frantically,  _ “Guys??” _

At which point, Gladio squeezed out from under the car. At the sight of him, Noctis heaved a relieved sigh and knelt. “There you a--  _ Stars, _ are you okay?” He put a hand on Gladio’s matted fur and Gladio made a pained noise. 

Noctis hissed through his teeth. “Let’s get out of here,” he said. “Are the others down there, too?” 

Gladio looked back underneath. Then Prompto stopped his grooming and butted his head against Ignis’s shoulder. His “let’s go” message was clear. 

Ignis carefully uncurled himself. He’d sat just long enough for the pain to make him stiff, and now he couldn’t walk without it being clear that he was suffering. He tried to mask it, but as soon as he limped out from under the car, he heard the hiss of Noctis’s inhale.

Noctis scooped him up gently, but it jostled something inside, and he couldn’t help the involuntary sound he made. “Shh,” Noctis murmured; “shh, you’re okay, oh shit, Ignis…” He was grateful when Noctis deposited him in the Regalia’s front passenger seat. Ignis was vaguely aware of the back door opening, of the pained sound Gladio made when Noctis deposited him in back, of the padding sound of Prompto jumping in. He was even aware enough to notice Prompto stretching out to put his forepaws on the center console, sniffing in Ignis’s direction until Gladio put a paw on Prompto’s haunch in a clear order to “sit down.”

Noctis was slow getting in the car. When he finally did, he clutched the steering wheel in a death grip and stared unseeing out the windshield for a long time, not even turning on the car. Noctis took a shuddering breath. And then Ignis focused enough to notice the bald panic on Noctis’s face. 

Ignis uncurled himself and stretched up. Painfully, he leaned one paw on Noct’s forearm, and sniffed at his face. Noct turned and met his eyes. “What do I do, Specs?” he murmured. “I dunno how to take care of cats. I mean...” and he sighed. "I feed them, but when have I ever had a cat of my own? I’m not a vet! What do I do??"

Ignis couldn’t answer -- and the pain was making him tremble, so he crouched back down into the passenger seat and curled in on himself. He was aware of Noctis watching him. He wrapped his tail around his feet and pushed his nose into his own fur. 

He was a little surprised when he heard a gentle thump, and suddenly another furry body was in his seat. He opened one eye. It was Prompto. 

“Careful, Prompto!” Noctis said, and Gladio made a low noise from the back seat, but Prompto just sat next to Ignis as close as he could get and wrapped his tail around him. The warmth eased the ache in Ignis’s body, and he closed his eye again, and breathed deep through the waves of pain.

Noctis exhaled, and there was the jingle of keys, and the deep rumble of the Regalia’s engine revving to life. Then they were moving. 

Pain made the drive interminable. Every little bump jostled Ignis and sent a shock of pain through his body. Ignis was in too much discomfort to think about why he’d failed to summon the spell. Instead, he focused on breathing through every pothole and bump, and on the warm bundle that was Prompto sitting next to him, and on the vibrating car around them. The drive likely wasn’t as long as it felt, but by the time the Regalia pulled to a stop, Ignis was more than ready for it to be over. 

Noctis shut the car off and got out with a quick “Stay here, guys.” Then there was the retreating crunch of his boots on gravel as he walked away.

Noctis wasn’t gone long. He returned with keys to the caravan, and one at a time transferred first Gladio and then Ignis there. As careful as he was, as gently as he tried to scoop Ignis out of the seat, every movement jostled Ignis, sending pain radiating out from his core, As Noctis carried him into the back bedroom, Ignis watched Gladio settle himself on one of the caravan’s tiny couches. Then Noctis was setting Ignis gently on the duvet of the caravan’s master bed, with a quiet “Hang tight, okay? I’ll see what I can do for you.” 

Then Noctis was gone. Ignis could still hear him walking too and fro in the main caravan, mumbling to himself about “gotta clean Gladio up” and “where’s the antiseptic” and “d’you think a potion works on cats” and most often “Ugh, Ignis would know what to do…” 

From the sounds, Prompto was following him every step, meowing in encouragement. Ignis just hoped Prompto wasn’t tangling himself up in Noct’s legs; they were both likely to get hurt.

And there was nothing Ignis could do to help.

Noct’s concerns about potions and their potency on cats were completely valid; being a tenth the size of a human, a cat’s body could react very differently (and disastrously) to an administered potion. As much pain as he felt, Ignis wasn’t anxious to try it.

For now, he would just have to wait… either for Cor to arrive with a remedy, or for the status effect to wear off. He wouldn’t be a cat forever -- he just needed to hold on.

* * *

Noctis winced, watching Ignis settle on the caravan bed. He was sure Ignis was injured on the inside, and it wasn’t something he could fix. He could only get him as comfortable as possible, and that was the extent of it. 

He wanted to do something to ease Ignis’s pain, but they only had over-the-counter stuff for  _ humans, _ and those would be more likely to kill him than help him. And who knew where they could find pet medicine out here?

With Ignis as settled as he was going to get, Noctis quickly texted Cor to let him know their location, and then turned his attention to Gladio. His side was matted with blood, but his coat was so full that Noctis couldn’t see the extent of the injury. Gladio glared at him from the caravan bench, his ears half-turned. He was really the most intimidating cat Noctis had ever seen, especially with the scar on his face. He looked as fierce as a coeurl himself, and nearly as feral. Something had to be done to the wound, though, and Noctis couldn’t do anything with all the fur in the way.

“Okay, Gladio, think you can lay still for me?” Noctis said.

To his relief, Gladio flopped right over, his injured side up. Noctis grabbed his electric razor from the arsenal and flipped it on. As soon as the buzz started, Gladio’s eyes widened and his ears flattened. 

“Sorry, big guy,” Noctis said. 

He trimmed the fur away from the wound as best as he could, grateful all the while that Gladio wasn’t  _ actually _ a cat, and could understand why he was doing this. He had a feeling it would be a lot different if he was working on an  _ actual _ Galahdian Coon. As it was, Gladio still flinched and hissed when the razor got too close to the jagged wound… but soon it was dealt with. Noctis slathered the slash with antiseptic, then covered it with gauze and gently wrapped a bandage around Gladio’s torso to hold it in place. 

He stepped back and looked at his handiwork. Gladio sat up and inspected it with a sniff, then looked up at Noctis and gave him a gruff half-meow, half-purr.

“You’re... welcome?” Noctis said. He hoped that was the correct response. 

Prompto butted his head against Gladio’s shoulder (as high as he could reach; Prompto was ridiculously tiny in comparison, which would have been hilarious under different circumstances). Gladio responded by putting a paw on Prompto’s shoulder and pushing him away. Prompto staggered and lashed his tail once, but immediately brushed it off and jumped down from the bench to thread himself between Noct’s legs. 

“Okay, you’ve gotta stop that or I’ll step on you,” Noctis said with a small chuckle. 

So. Ignis was as cared for as Noctis could get him, Gladio was all trussed up, and Prompto looked fine… Noctis finally could head for the bathroom to wash up. Once he was in there, he glanced at the toilet, and… “Crap,” he said.

He darted back out to the bench where Gladio lay. “D’you… should I… go get a litterbox for you guys?” Noctis asked.

Gladio flattened his ears, and Prompto made a choking sound that, if Noctis didn’t know better, might have been a laugh. If cats could laugh. Gladio jumped down from the bench and set a paw against the door until Noctis opened it for him. Gladio made no move to leave, but just pointed his paw outside. 

“You just gonna go out in the woods? You sure?”

Gladio honest-to-goodness rolled his eyes and didn’t dignify that with any more of a response. He turned away and hopped back up on the caravan bench, and then curled up, facing away. 

Prompto, meanwhile, darted outside and underneath the caravan. Noctis resisted the urge to rush after him, and instead, stood nervously in the doorway until Prompto returned a few minutes later, his tail upright and swaying. “Mew,” he said to Noctis as he came inside. 

Noctis wondered vaguely how Ignis would take this particular state of things.

Then his stomach growled. “Ugh. What’re we going to do for food?” he said. 

Prompto sat at his feet and looked up at him with a firm “Mew!” and Gladio twisted his head to look at Noctis over his shoulder. Noctis stared at the two cats, and both of them stared back expectantly. 

“Err… I guess I’d better feed you,” he said. 

Prompto meowed enthusiastically, and rubbed against his legs. Gladio sat up on the bench and wrapped his tail wrapped around his paws, looking stiff and uncomfortable with the bandage around his ribcage.

Noctis took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay then,” he said. “Cats… like fish.” He turned to the caravan’s tiny kitchenette, hunted out a cutting board and knife. Then he pulled out a fresh-caught trout from his latest fishing venture, and did his best to fillet it. He didn’t have a lot of practice, what with Ignis on hand to take care of such things, but he managed well enough to get the pin bones out so none of his companions would choke.

Then he pan-fried the fillets carefully with just a little salt and pepper, and then pulled out a handful of little plates. He used a fork to break the fillets into little bites, and portioned them out onto three of the plates. Two of them, he set on the caravan’s dining table. Gladio was massive enough that he could sit on the bench and still eat from the table -- and he scarfed his portion down almost immediately. Prompto hopped up on the table to reach his, and Noctis didn’t bother to shoo him down. He was a cat; he could do whatever he liked. 

(Ignis would probably be mortified that Prompto’s cat feet were on the table, but right this moment, Noctis didn’t care.)

Speaking of Ignis… Noctis took the third little plate into the caravan’s master bed, and knocked on the wall to announce his entry. “You hungry, Specs?” he said.

Ignis made no sound. He was curled in a tight ball, his nose hidden in the fur of his tail, but there was a stiffness to him that said he wasn’t sleeping. Noctis set the plate of fish nearby. Ignis raised his head to sniff at it, but turned away without tasting it. 

“C’mon, Igs, you should eat  _ something,”  _ Noctis pleaded.

Ignis blinked up at him, and tucked his head back into his tail.

After coaxing for a while, Noctis gave up. He split Ignis’s portion between Gladio and Prompto’s plates, and it was soon gone. Then he picked up the last plate, with a full fillet for himself, and sat down next to Gladio with a groan. He stared at his plate until Prompto bumped his elbow with his head. Noctis glanced at Prompto’s utterly innocent-looking tabby face. 

“How long d’you think it’ll take for Cor to get here?” he asked. 

Prompto blinked and made a little “mrrp” sound.

Noctis blinked -- his eyes prickled, and when he rubbed at them his hand came away wet. But that couldn’t be right. He inhaled. “I hope he gets here soon,” he said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis plays the waiting game. With cats!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah, thanks for your patience...! I really thought I was closer to the end than I ended up being -- but mostly because my writing progress was creeping along at a snail's pace.

Noctis barely ate any of his fish. After picking at it for half an hour, he finally split it for Gladio and Prompto to share, and took his plate to the sink. He blinked at the dirty pan and dishes. He had to clean them, or the place was going to stink of fish. “Too bad you guys can’t help out,” he muttered. 

Prompto made a chirpy noise, and Gladio a deeper one, in response. While Noctis filled the sink with soapy water, Gladio hopped down from the bench with a thump and limped to the master bedroom. Prompto, meanwhile, licked all the plates clean. When Noctis collected them, he was tempted to let them go unwashed.

… Ignis would kill him.

Prompto wove between Noct’s feet while he cleaned up. (“Watch it or I’m gonna step on you,” Noctis finally had to say.) When the dishes were finally clean and put away, Noctis headed to the bedroom to check on Ignis. 

Ignis hadn’t moved at all. Gladio was there now too, curled around Ignis and purring like a motor. He opened his eyes just a slit, and blinked at Noctis before settling around Ignis again. Noctis quickly checked the dressing wrapped around Gladio’s torso, and it seemed sound. Then he looked at Ignis, clenching and unclenching his hands.

Ignis was clearly in a lot of pain, but nothing Noctis could do would help. He might even make things worse.

There wasn’t anything Noctis could do here. 

He wandered back out to the little table and flopped face down on one of its benches. 

He wasn’t there long before there was a sudden weight on his back -- and little feet walking up to his shoulders.

“Mrrp?” Prompto said, and then Noctis felt whiskers tickling his ear. 

He batted at him with a hand. “I’m okay, Prompto, just… dunno what to do.” 

Prompto settled, a comforting weight between his shoulder blades, and they sat there for some time. Noctis didn’t even pull out his phone. After a while, Prompto hopped down and sauntered into the room where their companions were -- to check on them, Noctis suspected -- and then after some minutes in there, he came back out to sniff at Noct’s face and sit by him again. 

Prompto went back and forth like that several times, and the hours of the afternoon just… blended together. Noctis lost himself in a fog of anxiety. He may even have napped; he blinked awake to the late afternoon sun shining on his face. 

Then he flinched and yelped when someone rapped on the caravan door. 

There was a thump from the other room, and Gladio came in a limping rush from the bedroom before Noctis had even climbed off the bench. Gladio reached the door ahead of him -- even stretched himself enough that he could have pulled on the handle, but he didn’t. He just sniffed at the door, then sat down to one side of it and meowed up at Noct. That… seemed like approval. Noct peeked through the Caravan window to see Cor the Immortal waiting on the other side. 

He yanked the door open. “Cor!” he gasped. He almost lunged forward to hug the man -- but he hadn’t done that since he was a child. He just stopped himself. 

Cor gave him a wry smile. “May I come in?” he said.

“Yeah,” Noctis breathed, and backed away so that Cor could come in. Which he did, then stopped as soon as he saw the large cat sitting next to the door. 

Cor gave Gladio a hard stare. “Gladio?”

The cat blinked at him.

Prompto came running, an orange streak from the back room, and sat next to Gladio, mimicking his posture. 

“And this must be Argentum,” Cor said with a half-smile. 

The orange tabby meowed up at him, and gave a mincing half-step closer to Gladio. 

Cor chuckled wryly, then looked searchingly at Noctis. “How are you holding up?”

“Everything’s terrible,” Noctis said, and then Cor really _did_ laugh. Noctis gave him the dirtiest look he could muster. 

“Where’s Ignis?” Cor said.

“On the big bed,” Noctis said, waving a hand. “He… he doesn’t look good. I think one of the voreteeth got him.”

Cor’s expression turned grim. “Let’s see him, then,” he said, and followed Noctis into the back room.

Ignis looked tiny, curled up on the large caravan bed. His eyes were closed, but his ears were half down, and the tip of his tail twitched. Noctis didn’t think he was sleeping. 

Cor knelt beside the bed and reached out to put a hand gently on Ignis’s side. Ignis flinched and made a small sound, and Cor gave a gentle “hush.” 

Noctis just hovered at the side of the bed. His eyes darted between Ignis and Cor. 

Cor sighed and stood at last. “I don’t know anything about treating cats,” he said. “He’ll likely heal better as a human, anyway.” Then he pulled a remedy out of his jacket. “Would you like to do the honors?” 

Noctis grabbed it and popped it over Ignis -- and as the green magic washed over him, he made a small sound that changed from a small cat noise to a much larger human groan -- and then Ignis was there in his rumpled fatigues, curled on the bed, his face twisted in a pained grimace. 

“Ignis!” Noctis said, and rushed forward. He would have thrown his arms around his friend, but Cor caught him. 

“Hold on, Highness,” he said. “He’s still injured.” 

Noctis shrank back. 

“Where did it get you?” Cor asked Ignis. 

“The ch… chest,” Ignis said. “Broken ribs, I think. Bruises, certainly.” He shifted slightly -- then winced and gasped.

Noctis pulled a potion from the armory and broke it over Ignis’s head. He shimmered again as the magic washed over him. Ignis sighed then, and the pain drained away from his face.

“Thank you, Noct,” he said. He shifted to his back, with his legs hanging off the bed. 

A loud meow behind them was all the warning they had before Gladio jumped up on the bed and curled himself up right on Ignis’s chest and started purring. 

“Shiva’s Tears, Gladio, you’re heavy,” Ignis hissed -- but Gladio didn’t seem to care. He just purred louder. 

Cor chuckled. “Well, we’ve taken care of the most urgent case, anyway,” he said. He eyed the wrapping around Gladio. “He injured too?” he said with a nod. 

“Yeah, but… I took care of that. Mostly.”

Cor nodded and quickly checked Gladio’s dressing. He must have been satisfied with what he saw, because he nodded again. Then he just… turned around and left the room.

Noctis followed him out. “What about Gladio and Prompto?” he said. “Didn’t you bring more remedies?”

Cor settled onto one of the benches and leaned on the caravan’s table, clasping his hands. “One was all we could spare,” he said. “They’re hard to come by right now, but we’re looking. In the meantime… Gladio and Prompto may just have to wait it out.”

Noctis groaned and slumped onto the opposite bench. “I’ve never had a cat before. How do I take care of cats?”

“I’ve heard that you have an affinity for them,” Cor said.

Noctis squinted at him, but the Immortal just smiled.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Just keep them fed and watered, and in time, it should wear off. Most status effects do, anyway, if they don’t kill you.”

“Yeah, that makes me feel a _lot_ better,” Noctis said sarcastically.

Cor didn’t stay much longer. As soon as the caravan door closed behind him, Noctis sighed. He went to the back bedroom to check on Ignis. 

Ignis had managed to rearrange himself, even with Gladio on his chest. He now lay with his head on the pillow, and his feet nearly dangling over the edge of the bed. He’d set his shoes neatly on the floor at the bedside, and his glasses lay on the side table. He was fast asleep. Gladio had adjusted with him, and lay sprawled across Ignis’s entire torso, purring loudly enough that Noctis could hear it from the door.

That… that was okay. For now. Ignis hadn’t been feeling well before the attack; he’d need some time to recover. Noctis backed out and went to the caravan’s little kitchen. 

The setting sun was low enough now to peek through the caravan windows and paint the inside in shades of orange. Noctis sighed heavily. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and clattered down the steps, letting the caravan door fall closed behind him. He sank into one of the plastic chairs and cracked the can open and let it hiss before he popped it open all the way and took a swig. 

Then an orange blur leapt up on the table, and Noctis yelped. It was a wonder he didn't spill all down his front. Prompto meeped at him. 

"How did you get out here??" he cried.

Prompto just made a smug "Mrrrp," and sniffed at the mouth of Noct's beer.

He lifted it away. "Pretty sure that's not good for cats," he said. 

Prompto made a sulky sound, but still perched on the table. They watched the sun set together, and when darkness fell, Noctis cradled Prompto to his chest and went back inside. Then he crashed for the night, half-on and half-off the caravan bench, and pulled a blanket around him. Prompto curled up on top of him, a pleasant weight.

Noctis thought he’d have trouble getting to sleep, but Prompto’s purring lulled him right off.

* * *

Noctis woke up with the sun in his eyes and Prompto’s tiny weight still on his chest. Neither of them had moved much overnight… and Prompto was still a cat. Noctis sighed. He was hoping this would have worn off by now, but no.

There was no sound from the bedroom yet, which meant Ignis wasn’t up yet. Which meant Noctis had to get his own breakfast. He cursed under his breath -- and that was enough noise for Prompto to stir. He uncurled with a yawn and a cat stretch that rippled all the way to the tip of his tail, and then he looked at himself, his tail twitching, and looked back at Noct’s face, his ears half-down. 

“Yeah, I agree, buddy,” Noctis said. 

He shooed Prompto off his chest and stood up with a groan. He started to review all the stuff they had for breakfast -- and was just wondering if Ignis would complain if he just skipped over to the diner to grab them all some eggs and bacon -- when there was a little “pop!” And then Prompto made a noise that wasn’t entirely cat-like, and then a groan that was _definitely_ not cat-like. 

Noctis spun around, and there, sitting in the middle of the caravan floor, was a very confused-looking Prompto, holding a hand to his head. “Whoa,” Prompto said. Then he froze. He patted his chest, his face, his hair… then he knelt forward and patted his butt where his tail had been. “Hey, I’m… I’m me again!” 

Noctis breathed a relieved laugh. “Pretty sure you were you the whole time,” he said, and grabbed Prompto’s hand to pull him to his feet and into a hug. He gave Prompto’s back a solid thump.

A muffled sound drifted out from the bedroom. Prompto and Noctis pulled away from each other and shared a look, and then dashed to the room. 

Ignis was there still, mostly in the same position Noctis had left him in -- except Gladio was laying on top of him, full-sized and fully human, curled up sleeping, and oblivious to the fact that he was crushing Ignis beneath him. The muffled sound was Ignis, trying and failing to scramble out from under more than 250 pounds of dead weight, with a chest that probably still ached from newly-healed rib fractures.

Noctis rushed forward and patted Gladio on the face. “Hey,” he shouted. “Get up, you big oaf; you’re crushing Ignis!”

Gladio grumbled and rolled -- on top of Ignis’s face. Ignis made an alarmed noise, and Noctis and Prompto both grabbed Gladio by the arm and heaved -- and between the two of them, they were able to pull him up -- and once he was sitting upright, he blinked and yawned. Behind him, Ignis gasped for breath. 

“You okay, Specs?” Noctis asked, a hand still on Gladio’s shoulder to keep him steady.

“I thought I was going to die,” Ignis wheezed. 

Prompto gave a shaky laugh. “We’ve got your back,” he said. He slapped Ignis’s shoulder and gave it a shake, then yanked his hand away when Ignis hissed through his teeth. “Whoops, sorry,” he said.

“I appear to have some healing yet to do,” Ignis said. He lifted himself on his elbows and shifted back to lean against the caravan wall. 

“Sorry,” Gladio rumbled -- and then _he_ winced. And Noctis remembered that, yeah, Gladio had been injured too. 

“Hey,” Noctis said. He summoned a potion and handed it to Gladio, who gratefully took it and crushed it in his palm. His shoulders relaxed, and he heaved a sigh -- and it almost looked like he was going to fall back on the bed over Ignis’s legs. “Whoa,” Noctis said. “Better stay upright.”

“Yeah,” Gladio said, and stilled under Noct’s hand.

Noctis turned his attention to his advisor. He’d leaned back with an arm over his eyes. “You okay?” Noctis asked.

“I could use some water, if you don’t mind,” Ignis said -- and his voice was definitely raspy, in the ‘hasn’t had anything to drink since before yesterday’s fiasco’ way.

“I’ll get it,” Prompto said, and bolted out the door.

“Seriously, though,” Noctis said. “You were kind of shaky _before_ we got into the fight. I mean, you couldn’t even pull a spell out.” 

Ignis’s mouth thinned. “Apologies, Majesty,” he said. “I’ll try not to let myself get so fatigued.”

“If it was just fatigue, then… Just. Tell me? If you’re not feeling well? So we don’t get into fights. We rely on you.” 

Ignis peered at him from under his arm. This wasn't precisely fair of Noctis, to corner Ignis like this, when he couldn’t get away. And Gladio was here, listening to everything that was said. He was tired, too, but alert and motionless under Noct’s hand.

“You take such good care of _us_ all the time,” Noctis pleaded. “I just want you to take care of yourself, too.” 

Ignis was still for a while. Then at last he smiled, and it softened his face. “Thanks for your concern,” he said. “I’ll endeavor to do better.”

Gladio grunted. 

“You doubt me?” Ignis asked.

“I _know_ you,” Gladio replied.

Ignis sighed. “Very well,” he said. “I will do more than endeavor.” 

“That’s all I can ask,” Noctis said. “I already ask so much of you.” His eyes burned a little as he said that.

Ignis’s smile broadened. “Now now,” he said. “No need to be maudlin. We only give what we promised.”

“Which is everything,” Gladio said gently. He put a hand on Noct’s shoulder.

Prompto chose that moment to breeze in with two full glasses of water. He handed one to Ignis, and was about to give Gladio the other, but Gladio pushed it away. 

“Gotta go take a piss first,” he said, and he stiffened under Noct’s hand, preparing to stand.

“Think you can walk?” 

“I’m fine,” Gladio said, and then he was up, and swayed alarmingly, and Noctis was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to catch the guy if he fell, but Gladio put a hand on the wall and was out the door in two strides. 

“D’you think…” Prompto said, then stopped.

“Do I think what?”

“Didn’t he… you know.” Prompto waved a hand. “When he was a cat?” 

_“What?”_

_“You_ know.” Prompto said again. “I mean, there isn’t a litter box in here, and you let _me_ outside. _You know._ To do my business.”

Noctis startled himself with a snort-laugh. “I don’t think he _did._ And _he’s_ the one who said you all could just go outside.”

Ignis made a “tsk” sound. 

Prompto and Noctis looked at him. 

Prompto’s mouth turned in a crooked smile. “Did _you--”_

“That’s quite enough,” Ignis said. “I don’t feel the need to answer prying questions. Though… I may avail myself of the facilities as soon as Gladio is done.”

Prompto at least had the grace -- or sense of self-preservation, really -- to wait until he was outside to cackle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this silly thing!

**Author's Note:**

> Where Ignis is an Abyssinian, Gladio is a Maine Coon, and Prompto is your standard orange tabby...


End file.
